The pathway stone work is exquisite!<\/p>\n There are several styles of paths, each one more beautiful than the other.<\/p>\n That wall of sticks you see in the back is against the road where Daniel, our riding guide, keeps his horses, just a short ways down. I’ve been passing this place regularly without ever assuaging my curiosity about it!<\/p>\n First, we toured the cactus section. So many varieties!<\/p>\n I was awestruck by how meticulously landscaped the garden is, with many species well labeled. I<\/p>\n I loved this contrast of the coconut palms with the cacti.<\/p>\n Can you see the iguana against the wall? I’m pretty sure it lives in that hole.<\/p>\n Hard to believe this is our Isla.<\/p>\n Sue and I liked the contrast of the orange with the green here.<\/p>\n And we both thought these shriveled things look mouldy and not particularly attractive.<\/p>\n So many pretty colours.<\/p>\n This ramp’s incline is very subtle and wheelchair accessible.<\/p>\n This agave looks like an octopus.<\/p>\n Oh, look at that. It’s called octopus agave!<\/p>\n I thought these were particularly striking, with their dark outline.<\/p>\n So pretty. Such bright contrasting colours.<\/p>\n The ramp leading back down gently.<\/p>\n The hummingbird garden, with lots of flowers with little tubes (imagine miniature dandelions) for them to stick their beaks into. The French word for hummingbirds is identical, hence why I understood the sign. I’m not quite yet at learning bird names in Spanish. Just not a priority. \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n More of those fuschia\u00a0ones.<\/p>\n And now some coral ones with bigger petals.<\/p>\n This red fluffy thing looked like it was covered in bird feathers.<\/p>\n More stonework.<\/p>\n The lake.<\/p>\n Waterlilies. There were a lot of tadpoles hopping about.<\/p>\n One of the cottages.<\/p>\n More beautiful pink petals.<\/p>\n And yellow ones. These grow in a tree.<\/p>\n My first sighting of bananas growing in the wild!<\/p>\n The butterfly garden.<\/p>\n I liked these blue flowers, a nice change from all the warm colours.<\/p>\n These looked like miniature daffodils.<\/p>\n Bamboo. We’re just right by where our horses are tied up, on the other side of the wall.<\/p>\n I wonder if this ever blooms into something magnificent. So much bamboo!<\/p>\n Purple things.<\/p>\n White things.<\/p>\n More bamboo. There’s a whole forest of it.<\/p>\n Relaxation area. Bring mosquito repellent!<\/p>\n I was really impressed by the bananas. Notice the pod thing hanging from the bottom of the plant.<\/p>\n Everything was so lush and inviting. Closeup of one of those banana pod things.<\/p>\n For someone who loves and needs bright colours, this place was truly a feast for the eyes.<\/p>\n Red is not a favourite colour, but I could appreciate these.<\/p>\n Pretty spot for \u00a0wedding!<\/p>\n The cottages were open, so Sue and I went exploring. The little one had an open air bedroom upstairs. Off of which was a split bath, with a shower on one side…<\/p>\n Sink and vanity in the middle, and toilet on the other side. Notice the coconut toilet paper holder.<\/p>\n There is a kitchenette of sorts by the bed.<\/p>\n View to the larger cottage from the upstairs balcony. Beautiful wooden stairs up.<\/p>\n Downstairs lounge.<\/p>\n Next to the hot tub.<\/p>\n Nice hot tub!<\/p>\n Not a bad place to relax!<\/p>\n The larger cottage had a full kitchen.<\/p>\n Cozy dining area, all downstairs.<\/p>\n Bedroom upstairs, still open air.<\/p>\n Desk area.<\/p>\n Wonderful deck.<\/p>\n Outdoor shower.<\/p>\n Check out the sink!<\/p>\n Indoor shower. Notice that the plumbing was worked into that gorgeous wooden beam.<\/p>\n View of the lake from the balcony:<\/p>\n This one had a stone staircase, but it was also beautiful, with this pattern on the landing.<\/p>\n We believe these are papaya.<\/p>\n Heron.<\/p>\n View of the larger cottage.<\/p>\n The other side of the lake.<\/p>\n We circled the lake and finished at the fruit garden, opposite the cacti.<\/p>\n Limes.<\/p>\n Pomelos. I was amazed to see all these fruits in their natural setting!<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Miniature\/dwarf pineapple<\/a>. I asked the guard about them when I came out and he said this is as big as they grow and they are ornamental. There was a bunch of them growing.<\/p>\n More limes.<\/p>\n New building project. Forgot to ask about it. I’m facing the ocean right now, with the RV park between us.<\/p>\n Mushrooms grown in the damp soil.<\/p>\n And just when I thought we were done, this spiral.<\/p>\n Front gate.<\/p>\n And these are at the entrance:<\/p>\n![\"IMGP3252\"](\"http:\/\/www.raecrothers.ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/IMGP3252.jpg\")
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